1	"An Overview of" An Overview of Methods and Sources
2	Review of the Family History Library Catalog CD Version has the most versatility Here are the searches: Locality Microfilm/fiche Number Author Keyword Surname Web address: www.familysearch.org –click library, then family history library catalog.
3	Presentation Overview What is Germany? Finding the Immigrant Ancestor Finding the Immigrant Ancestor’s place of birth Using Original and Published Sources at the Family History Library Finding Resources in Germany and Poland Finding German-Russians
4	What is Germany? The German Empire founded by Charlemagne in 800 was a nation covering present-day Germany, France, Northern Spain, Northern Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Western Hungary, and Switzerland After his grandsons divided the empire it would not exist as a united nation again until 1871 But what about the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation that Otto the great restored in 963 and Napoleon toppled in 1806?
5	"Second Empire- 1871 to 1918" Second Empire- 1871 to 1918 Present-day Germany, Northern and Western Poland, Southern Tip of Denmark, Western France (Left Bank of the Rhine) Weimar Republic 1918 to 1931 Loss of Polish Corridor to the Baltic (Eastern Posen , West Prussia-Danzig an international city) Present-day Germany with Northeastern and Western Poland Third Reich- 1933 to 1945 Present-day Germany with Poland, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Denmark, Austria, Western Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania Divided Germany: German Democratic Republic, Federal Republic of Germany-1945 to 1990 United Germany-Federal Republic of Germany: 1990 to present
6	Keys to Successful Research Always work from the present to the past Always create a time line for the principal Always work from known places of residence, birth, marriage, etc. Find ancestors/principals in records that state exactly where they were at a specific point in time (Vital records, censuses, etc.)
7	Finding the Immigrant Ancestor Which American sources tell us about the place of birth of an ancestor? Civil and Church Birth/Christening, etc. Censuses after from 1870 and later list parent’s birth places Censuses from 1850 and later lists household members’ birthplaces Death Records Obituaries Aunts’, Uncles’, Cousins’ family records
8	Finding Immigrant Ancestors’ Birthplaces Once you know who the immigrant ancestor is, trace them back to the port of arrival by: Isolating the date of arrival in the community and in the U.S. and date of naturalization using Censuses 1900-1930 U.S. Censuses State Censuses-See State Census Records (Ann S. Lainhart, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992) By discovering their naturalization records After 1906 INS kept a national registery/index (see ins.gov). Any court of record could be used for naturalization)
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11	How to Find Naturalization Records Family History Library Catalog Locality Search for the city, county, state in which immigrant ancestors lived. Look under the topic “Naturalization”. Look up the county in which ancestors lived in The County Courthouse Book (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing, Co., 1995). If county clerk has them they are listed as naturalization records.
12	"By documenting their arrival on..." By documenting their arrival on a U.S. passenger arrival record U.S. passenger arrival records begin in 1820 Until the 1891 Immigration Act only the names of immigrants, their ages, occupations, and country of origin are listed. From the 1891 Immigration Act until the Act of 1906, a last place of residence for each immigrant was added as well as their U.S. destination. After 1906, the birth place of each immigrant is listed and in 1907 the names and addresses of relatives or sponsors in the homeland and in the U.S. are also listed.
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17	"By documenting their arrival in..." By documenting their arrival in an obituary for them, a spouse or a child. By documenting their arrival in a passenger list index/Web site: Pennsylvania German Pioneers (Ralph B. Strassburger, John Hinke, Norristown, Pa: Pennsylvania German Society, 1934). Covers period 1727-1808 Passenger and Immigration List Index (P. William Filby, Detroit: Gale, 1981-). Great for pre-1820 immigration Germans to America (Ira Glazier, P. William Filby, Wilmington, Del: Scholarly Resources, 1988-). Covers period 1850-1893 so far Migration from the Russian Empire (Ira Glazer, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1995 (Begins in 1875 and covers Germans who emigrated first to Russia and then to the U.S.
18	"The Württemberg Emigration Index (..." The Württemberg Emigration Index (Trudy Schenk, Ruth Froelke, Inge Bork, Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1986-2001). German Immigrants: Lists of Passengers Bound from Bremen to New York 1847-1867 with Places of Origin(Gary Zimmermann, Marion Wolfert, Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1985-1988). German Immigrants: Lists of Passengers Bound from Bremen to New York 1868-1871 with Places of Origin(Marion Wolfert, Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1985-1988).
19	And by documenting them on Web sites: Ancestry.com (Selected immigrant indexes for Ancestry members’ searches or free searches from BYU-based computers). Ellisisland.org ( index to passengers arriving at New York 1892-1924-Provides last residence/birthplace). Cyndislist.com (Choose Germany from the table of contents and immigration/emigration as a subject under the Germany Web page). Usgenweb.org and worldgenweb.org Genealogienetz.de Immigrants.byu.edu (Recently established Web site of the BYU Immigrant Ancestors’ Project. The current project is a database of German emigrants contained in German emigration records. Web based extraction of emigration records planned to begin in January 2002).
20	Many ancestors returned home for visits or to stay permanently. Some are identified in U.S. passport records (1791-1925), which also have indexes. You can write to the National Archives to have the indexes searched, or you can look at the films yourself in the Family History Library. Some ancestors came to the U.S. through Canadian ports. The National Archives of Canada has copies of arrival lists, but they cover only scattered years. The Immigration and Naturalization Service began recording persons crossing into the U.S. from Canada in 1895. All of these border stations were included in the St. Albans, Vermont district. Microfilms of these passenger manifests from 1895 to 1954 are available at the Family History Library. Microfilms of indexes are also available there: Soundex Index to Canadian Border Entries through St. Albans, Vt. District (1895-1924 and 1924-1952) and Alphabetical Index to Canadian Border Entries through small ports in Vermont (1895-1924). Check Locality Search (U.S.) or Keyword (CD).
21	"Your cousins may already know..." Your cousins may already know the birthplace of the immigrant ancestor you share Use Web white pages’ searches, Submitters’ Lists to Ancestral File and Pedigree Resource File to find persons descended from the same immigrant ancestor Search Ancestral File and Pedigree Resource File for the children or brothers/sisters of your immigrant ancestors to learn if cousins have already posted facts you are missing.
22	"The Family History Library Catalog..." The Family History Library Catalog files all records for Germany under the jurisdictions that existed in the Second Empire (1871-1918). Common cross references are made to the modern jurisdictions. The source for the jurisdictions used by catalogers is Meyers Orts- Und Verkehrs-lexikon Des Deutschen Reichs (E. Uetrecht, Vienna and Leipzig: Bibliographisches Institute, 1912-1913).
23	"Use Meyers Orts- Und Verkers-lexikon..." Use Meyers Orts- Und Verkers-lexikon Des Deutschen Reichs (Rev. Ed., E. Uetrecht and Raymond Wright, Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000). To find more information about the places in which ancestors lived in Germany. This edition contains instruction about how to use the gazetteer and how to read the gothic font in which it is printed. If you cannot find the locality, go to the Family History Library Catalog “Locality search” for the state in which the locality is. Look under the topic “gazetteers”.
24	Using Original and Published Sources at the Family History Library U.S. Sources (Family History Library Catalog-Locality Search) Records created by public and private agencies Vital Records, Probates, Land Records Church Records Naturalization Records Published Sources Genealogies Local Histories Obituaries-Newspapers Directories
25	"Germany Sources" Germany Sources Public and Private Records (Locality Search) Civil Registration Naturalization/Citizenship Emigration Church Records Published Sources Genealogies Directories Community/Village Lineage Books (Dorfsippenbücher, Ortssippenbücher)
26	Finding Records in Germany and Poland Germany National, State, Local Archives National, State, and Local Libraries Poland National archive system National library system
27	Finding the addresses: ~Address Book for Germanic Genealogy (Ernest Thode, Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997) ~Cyndislist.com (Select Germany from the table of contents and then select Archives and Libraries and then look for archives and libraries in the modern state in which the localities are in which ancestors lived) ~Familysearch.org ( Select Search for Ancestors and then select Find Other Web sites… Choose category “Libraries” from the list) Remember that genealogies and local histories published in U.S. periodicals about your family or the areas in which they settled can be found in PERSI (Periodical Source Index on CD or at Ancestry.com). For a partial index to German genealogical and local history periodical literature see Der Schlüssel ( ) available at the Family History Library.
28	Finding Germans from Russia The German Emigration to Russia, 1763-1862 (Karl Stumpp, Lincoln, Neb: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1978). The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (See Thode or Web sites below) The Germans from Russia Heritage Society (See Thode or Websites below) Cyndislist.com Familysearch.com
29	"Remember that The Genealogist’s Address..." Remember that The Genealogist’s Address Book (4th ed., Elizabeth Bentley, Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000) contains the addresses of the German genealogical societies in the U.S. Check the index under German… and also the state sections for historical and genealogical societies in the states and counties in which immigrant ancestors lived.
30	Reference Books Ernest Thode, German-English Genealogical Dictionary Roger Meinert, Deciphering Handwriting in German Documents
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